A Private Celebration
by Aleia15
Summary: It was more than just a festival. It was a celebration and a declaration all at once. Konoha was telling the world they were at peace, and they were unafraid. Kakashi/Iruka


**A Private Celebration**

"I don't like this."

Iruka stuck his head out of the bathroom and looked at Kakashi, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Just barely.

"You look good," he said, going back in and immersing himself in the task of righting his clothes and pulling his hair up again.

"No. _You_ look good, _I_ look ridiculous," Kakashi insisted sounding like a whiny ten years old brat. It was funny because Iruka knew Kakashi had never been a ten years old brat, he had been a stiff and irritating old man in the body of a ten years old boy when he was that age. The fact that the older he got the brattier he became was funny. And annoying. And slightly disturbing. "I don't understand why we--"

"Kakashi," Iruka said twisting his hair tie one last time and securing his ponytail before leaving the bathroom. "We've been wearing mourning clothes for the past week; and before that we've been wearing our uniforms, and the blood of our friends and enemies, for the past two years. We deserve a day out of being soldiers, and this festival is the perfect occasion."

Kakashi looked at him and _pouted._ He shouldn't have bothered, it had never worked with Iruka. "I could wear my new robes--"

_No way._

Iruka crossed his arms and glared at him. "I'm not going to the festival with the Hokage."

"But--"

"And I'm not going with Sharingan Kakashi, so don't even bother to suggest putting on your uniform," he used his best no-nonsense voice. The one which made unruly students and jounin alike square their shoulders and behave like good little boys. Especially the jounin.

"I don't feel comfortable with these clothes," Kakashi said, his voice losing the pout and the whine, sounding more like himself. What Iruka could hear underneath was embarrassment and a hint of fear. "I can't jump or move freely in them, and I can't carry weapons--"

A sigh. He knew the problem was there, whatever Kakashi tried to make him believe. It was difficult to adapt to civilian life after what they had been through, but that was the reason it was so important to do it.

"That's why we're going to wear them."

It was more than just a festival. It was a celebration and a declaration all at once. Konoha was telling the world they were at peace, and they were unafraid.

Kakashi tried another technique. "The other Kages are going to be there, I should dress accordingly to my position."

Iruka snorted. "Kakashi, two weeks ago you were going to reject the position, and I quote: _because there is no way I wear that awful robe._"

He had the grace to look ashamed, though one needed to have plenty experience reading that damnable arch of his eye to notice. Whatever the attire, Kakashi had not lost his mask.

"Besides," Iruka continued, forestalling any other protest Kakashi might have, "the Mizukage showed me the clothes she's going to be wearing, and I tell you, _that's_ indecent. Also, Gaara said he was going to assist as a friend and as a boy, not as the Kazekage."

"Gaara in a yukata?" Kakashi snorted. "The Mizukage will be all over him. That woman doesn't know when to stop."

"Let her try," Iruka laughed, "Kage or not, Naruto will rip her arm off is she so much as touches Gaara again."

They shared a look and a smile, remembering the scene after the last funeral the day before. It was the first real smile they had on their faces in far too long. With a sigh, Iruka glanced at the clock and startled at what he saw there.

"Let's go, you have to start the festivities and you can't be late!"

He practically dragged Kakashi out of their house, resetting their traps with a practiced flick of his hand and few hand seals. Kakashi did the same, adding his own chakra and pressing both their hands into the door. It was a bit overkill, but anyone trying to enter their house without permission would be faced with a nasty surprise. And a few sharp blades. And explosive tags. And some angry ninken. Not to mention the boiling oil.

Maybe they should reconsider the amount of traps they had, but one never knew.

It would take time to get used to the peaceful times.

When they arrived the place was crammed with people, civilian and shinobi alike, wearing big grins and colourful clothes. It made a nice difference from the black that had been adorning the village for the past week.

Not to mention the crimson from the past years.

"Shodaime-sama! Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka could feel Kakashi shrink by his side and try to hide behind him at the loud voice greeting them, all the eyes turning around to stare. And stare. And stare some more.

He knew they made quite the spectacle in their bright yukatas. At least Kakashi was a sight to behold; his wiry, lean frame nicely covered by the dark fabric, his paleness a sharp contrast with the dark blue of it. That was exactly the reason they were late, Iruka was ashamed to admit.

"Sakura, you don't need to stand on ceremony with me," Kakashi said, recovering immediately when he recognized the one calling them.

Sakura smiled. "Kakashi-sensei." Was that a blush on her face? Yes, it definitely was. "You're late! You should have been here half an hour ago!" Or maybe it was an angry flush; with Sakura's mood swings it was hard to tell the difference.

"Well, I--"

"Let them be, Sakura," Shikamaru appeared behind her, also clad in a brightly coloured yukata, his bandages contrasting sharply with it. "If you scold the Hokage now he's going to be even later, and that would be--"

"Troublesome, yeah I know," she cut him off without even bothering to turn around. "What are you waiting for, Kakashi-sensei? Let's go to the stand!"

She grabbed Kakashi's arm before he had the chance to protest and started dragging him towards the central stand, the crowd parting before them like the red sea. Whether it was due to respect for their Kage or fear for his insane assistant, Iruka couldn't tell.

He smiled, looking around and scanning the crowd. There were more faces missing in it than he was ready to accept, but the joy and hope reflected in the ones present more than made up for that.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked after a few seconds of silence, failing to spot him in the crowd. If Iruka knew Naruto the way he did, he just needed to look for the most hideously bright orange yukata in the entire festival.

Shikamaru shrugged, not looking interested in the least. His customary expression. "He was looking for Gaara a while ago."

Iruka felt a threatening aura before he heard the voices and sighed.

"So was the Mizukage," Shikamaru continued, completely unconcerned by the suddenly murderous energy flaring up on the other side of the festival. Nobody looked really worried, actually. Even after everything that had happened, people trusted Naruto. It made a huge change from how things had been. "It seems they both found him."

"Yeah, let's go," Iruka said casting a look at the platform where Kakashi was standing ready to begin his speech. He knew Kakashi hated giving speeches, and it had taken some convincing to make him write one for this occasion. Not that he was complaining, the convincing had been fun. "We need to get to Naruto before he manages to start a war with the Mist. _That_ would be troublesome."

With a shrug and a much put upon sigh, Shikamaru followed him, Kakashi's amplified voice surrounding the entire festival grounds.

…

Kakashi pouted under his mask and followed Sakura to the stand.

He knew he should have rejected the position; he wasn't fit to be the Hokage. He was a soldier not a politician, and he was convinced he wasn't going to last more than a week. But someone had to do it, and with all the losses Konoha had sustained during the war, there wasn't anyone else.

At least until Naruto matured a bit.

He looked back longingly at Iruka, who looked ravishing in his dark green yukata and was immersed in his conversation with Shikamaru. Kakashi would give anything to be with them instead of facing the entire Konoha and giving that damnable speech.

He had tried to explain to Iruka the night before he was not made to speak in public. Give him a horde of murderous missing nin and Kakashi wouldn't even bat an eyelash, but put him on the spot in front of the people he would die to protect, and Kakashi turned into a coward. Iruka had laughed heartily, and then proceeded to slowly torture Kakashi until he accepted to write the speech and open the festival.

It had been worth it, though Kakashi knew he'd be sore the entire day.

The entire festival fell silent, or as silent as a group of celebrating shinobi could manage, the moment Kakashi stood on the stage. He opened his mouth, letting the words flow out of him while his eyes followed Iruka's progress down the festival grounds. Iruka was approaching a bright orange spot radiating with murderous energy, which could only be Naruto.

He had no idea what nonsense he was rambling about, his mouth working completely in autopilot, as Kakashi observed Iruka pulling Naruto off some whor--actually, that had to be the Mizukage, thought Kakashi had seen girls in the red district wearing more cloth on them. Compared to that, Kakashi looked completely respectable in his yukata.

Well, if he was honest, that wasn't the reason he had not wanted to wear it, whatever Iruka choose to believe. He wasn't even so concerned with wearing it himself. Yes, it wasn't the most comfortable attire on earth, but Kakashi had been able to fight--and win, or he wouldn't be there right now--even wearing just a fundoshi and a mask. Though he'd rather not think about that day.

No, it wasn't the fact that he was wearing a yukata in public what bothered Kakashi. It was that _Iruka_ was doing it, and it was a bit too difficult to hide Kakashi's reaction to that when he was also wearing one.

He heard the crowd cheering and realized he had stopped talking, and everyone except Sakura was taking their eyes off him to go back to the festival. Sakura, though, was devoting her entire attention to Kakashi. And the way her eyebrows were drawing close in a thunderous scowl told everything he needed to know.

"I have to go back to Iruka!" Kakashi said before rushing from the stage to the last place he had seen his lover.

He was there in less than a second, running so fast he might have just teleported. Iruka was holding on to Naruto for dear life, while the blond nightmare tried to rip the Mizukage's head off. Gaara was just standing there, not taking his eyes off Naturo but not really doing anything.

Shikamaru was also there, looking at the scene with a bored expression but holding on to the Mizukage, who looked ready to kill Naruto.

Perfect, just what they needed, Naruto starting another war.

"Gaara," Kakashi said standing right next to him, "I think you should take Naruto away from here."

Gaara turned to look at him and gave him a slight nod, something in his expression telling Kakashi Naruto was in for a wild night. Oh well, now that was taken care of--

He took hold of Iruka's arm, pulling him away from there.

"Wait, Kakashi, where are we going?" Iruka asked, turning to look at him.

"Home."

"What? But the festival has just started, and I want to watch the fireworks!" Iruka protested, digging his heels and refusing to move.

Kakashi sighed. "We'll come back for the fireworks," he assured him before he just teleported them straight into their bedroom.

Iruka blinked at him with a disbelieving expression, his face flushing as he took in the change in their surroundings. "Kakashi!" he bellowed, clearly furious at being ignored. Kakashi didn't mind, he pulled down his mask and forestalled any other protest by the simple method of kissing Iruka silly.

They parted when the need for air became overwhelming, Iruka panting loudly, his angry flush completely replaced by an aroused one. Kakashi smiled. "Do you know what I was thinking about while I gave that awful opening speech?" Kakashi mumbled against Iruka's neck, taking a few steps and pressing Iruka against the wall of their bedroom.

"I think I have a slight idea," Iruka countered, one of his hands sneaking between the folds of Kakashi's yukata and stroking him over his fundoshi. Kakashi moaned, pressing his mouth against Iruka's neck and nipping at the skin.

"You look gorgeous in a yukata," he said, his voice rough and dripping with desire. "You're not allowed to wear them outside, ever again."

Iruka laughed. "Is that an order?"

"Yes, from your Hokage," he said before taking a step back and roughly turning Iruka around so he was facing the wall. From the outside they could hear the loud voices of the festivities going on, laughs and cheers and the sound of happiness that had been missing from Konoha for a long time. Iruka let himself be handled that way, pressing his hands against the wall and tilting his head back, his eyes burning with desire.

Kakashi felt something inside melt at the sight, his blood liquefying in his veins. "Fuck, you don't know what you do to me," he said, pressing himself against Iruka's back and rubbing helplessly against his body, his mouth seeking Iruka's, his tongue delving inside to taste and devour.

Iruka was pressing back against him with the same need, his mouth hard and demanding under Kakashi's, the most incredibly arousing sound escaping his throat. He took a step back and a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He didn't want this to be over too soon, and he was feeling close to the edge. For a moment Kakashi considered uncovering his Sharingan and imprinting Iruka's image in his mind forever, but he dismissed the idea as a waste of chakra. There was no way he'd ever forget it, anyway.

Iruka opened his eyes and stared at Kakashi, a soft smile curving his swollen lips. "Are you done staring?" he asked, amused and breathless.

"No," Kakashi countered, making a show or roaming his eyes over Iruka's body. He took in ever little detail; the way his shoulders heaved with each panting breath, the expanse of his cloth covered back, taut with need, his shapely arse and those long and strong legs. He paid especial attention to his face, flushed with desire, eyes bright and lips slightly parted. And the way some wisps of hair had escaped his ponytail, framing his lovely features. "You are impressive, Sensei," he said, approaching him again when he had looked his fill, his hands moving quickly to part his clothes, reaching for his skin. "You have no idea of how beautiful you look like that," he continued, one hand slipping under the fundoshi while the other found a nipple and pinched it, Iruka's shudder against his body arousing him even more. "All eager and wanting me."

He found the words failed him at Iruka's moan and he decided to put his mouth to better use, licking Iruka's arched neck while he caressed him.

It was all getting a bit too much, he wanted _in_ Iruka, and he wanted it now. Reluctantly he pulled away, feeling the loss of contact keenly. Iruka made a sound of protest, his eyes snapping open with stare at Kakashi. "What--?"

"Just one second," Kakashi chocked out, almost incoherent with need and want. He rushed to the bedside table and yanked the drawer open, snatching the lubricant and going back to Iruka in an instant. He didn't even consider the fact that he was about to screw Iruka against the wall while the bed was just a few steps away.

Iruka had turned around and was facing Kakashi again, his yukata indecently opened and exposing him. Kakashi shuddered, his mouth drying at the sight. He coated his fingers quickly and began preparing Iruka, taking his mouth in another searing kiss. Iruka's hands were gripping his shoulders tightly, pushing Kakashi against him and moaning into his mouth. "I'm ready," he said against his lips, one of his hands taking the small vial of lubricant from Kakashi. He felt that hand undoing his fundoshi and covering his straining erection, coating him. "Fuck me now."

Kakashi was more than happy to oblige, he put his hands on Iruka's waist and lifted him, holding him against the wall with his weight. Iruka wound his legs around Kakashi's waist, pushing him closer, taking him in as deep as he could go. They stayed like that, Kakashi thanking whatever god had made him undergo the training that now gave him the strength to hold Iruka like that.

He started moving slowly, the pressure and warmth of Iruka insanely perfect around him, his mouth hard and hungry under Kakashi's. He pulled back, Iruka's legs tightening around him and pulling him back in forcefully, the pace increasing as the sounds from outside reached a feverish pitch. Konoha was celebrating life outside, and inside their house Kakashi and Iruka were doing exactly the same in their own private way.

The sounds of the first fireworks exploding outside were almost drowned by their moans, the pretty lights illuminating the sky painting Iruka's skin with otherworldly colours.

"The fireworks," Iruka panted, his eyes glazed and feverish fixed on Kakashi, his hands gripping him painfully. "Beautiful," he said, his eyes never leaving Kakashi.

"Yes," Kakashi agreed, not turning to look away from Iruka.

They came like that, never breaking eye contact while the room changed shades, their bodies moving frantically in their rush to completion.

They disentangled after a while, Iruka's legs releasing Kakashi to stand again on the floor, their breathing steadying slowly.

"Let's stay here the rest of the night," Iruka said, disappearing for a second and returning with a bottle of chilled sake. He took Kakashi's hand and dragged him to the balcony. From there they had a perfect view of the festival grounds, the fireworks still exploding merrily in the sky.

They leaned against the banister, their shoulders touching while they drank in silence. They didn't need to talk, not right now.

They were alive. And they were unafraid.

And they were together.

And for now, nothing else mattered.

…


End file.
